His Contract Bride

Chapter 10 Breaking Point

Morning broke with a stillness Amara couldn’t trust. She woke in Ethan’s bed, wrapped in his sheets, his scent still clinging to her skin. But the space beside her was empty.

A folded note lay on the pillow:

“Board meeting at 9. Didn’t want to wake you. Breakfast’s waiting. –E”

Her heart fluttered despite herself. But she pushed the emotion down. Feelings were dangerous.

Downstairs, she found Thomas waiting.

“Good morning, Mrs. Blake. Mr. Blake arranged for breakfast on the terrace.”

The terrace overlooked the manicured garden. Silver trays lined the table—croissants, fresh fruit, coffee, and poached eggs. A luxury she hadn’t even dreamed of.

As she took a sip of coffee, her phone buzzed. A notification from a gossip page:

“CEO Ethan Blake Caught With Mysterious Woman—Is This His Secret Wife?”

Her blood ran cold.

She clicked the article. It had pictures—from the gala balcony, from their arrival. Her face, though half-turned, was clearly visible.

“Sources say the mystery woman might be Amara Reyes, daughter of disgraced businessman Rafael Reyes. Could this be a marriage of convenience to salvage reputations?”

Amara’s stomach twisted. She felt exposed, betrayed. Her father’s name dragged into it, the past she fought so hard to forget.

When Ethan returned, she was waiting in the living room, article pulled up on the tablet.

“You told me this would be private,” she snapped.

“I didn’t leak this,” he said sharply. “It must’ve been someone at the gala. The press has their ways.”

She stood, trembling with fury. “You’re used to this, Ethan. I’m not. My past, my family—it’s all in that article. You promised—”

“I promised to protect the truth of our marriage. I didn’t promise the world would never dig.”

She threw the tablet onto the couch. “This isn’t protection. This is destruction.”

He stepped toward her. “I’ll handle it. I’ll issue a statement. Say you’re my wife and everything else is rumor.”

“That’ll only feed the fire.”

“I’m not letting them touch you.”

But Amara’s eyes were already brimming with tears. “They already have.”

The following days were chaos.

Reporters lurked near the estate.

Social media speculated nonstop.

Ethan’s PR team issued a carefully worded release, confirming their marriage but refusing further details. It only sparked more curiosity.

In the midst of the storm, Vanessa called.

“Come home,” she said. “Even for a day. It might help.”

So Amara packed a bag and left for her family’s small home on the outskirts of the city.

There, she wasn’t Mrs. Blake. Just Amara. Rafael’s daughter. Vanessa’s sister.

She helped in the kitchen, swept the porch, and talked late into the night with her sister about everything and nothing.

But even there, she couldn’t escape it. A neighbor approached her at the market.

“So, you married into the Blake family? Thought you were always different.”

Her voice was kind, but the judgment lingered.

Back at the estate days later, Ethan met her at the door.

“You okay?” he asked.

“No,” she said honestly. “But I will be.”

He didn’t touch her. Just nodded. “They’ll lose interest soon. They always do.”

She looked up at him. “But I’m still here. And I don’t want to hide anymore.”

He nodded. “Then don’t. Let them talk. Let’s live our truth.”

Amara swallowed. “Then I want to do something real. For me. Not just for the public.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“I want to start a foundation. For women who’ve fallen with their families, like I did. To help them rise again.”

Ethan’s eyes lit with something she hadn’t seen before—pride.

“Let’s build it. Together.”

She stepped closer. “And maybe we build more than that... together.”

He kissed her—soft, certain.

The storm was far from over.

But for the first time, they were facing it hand in hand.